Siheyuan: Xu Damao's New Life

Not long after, Xu Damao returned to the courtyard with two bottles of wine. It had been about a month since he last lived in the courtyard. He only came here after get off work to take a look around. He felt something was missing when he didn't see these beasts making trouble. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw the third uncle waiting happily at the door.

"Uncle, why are you still outside? It's very cold."

"Hey, didn't your third aunt ask you to come over today to settle the bill with the chefs? I'll be waiting for you here and we'll go together." Yan Bugui said.

"Then let's go and inspect it together. You can put the wine back first and we will drink it later." After Xu Damao said this, he waited for the third uncle to send the wine home, and then they walked towards the backyard together.

At this time, the soil trenches for burying water pipes and drains had already been backfilled, and they only needed to be watered and tamped down after the weather warmed up and thawed, and then they would be the same as before. This was a huge project in the middle of winter, and it was all thanks to the help of the people in the compound, although I also paid some money.

Soon the two arrived at the backyard. Xu Damao felt indescribably happy as he looked at the three renovated rooms. This would be his home in the future, and he would soon be able to bring Moth over to live with him.

The extra room was obtained by Xu's father after he went to the street and district to complete the formalities and presented a lot of gifts. When Xu's father came to submit the formalities, everyone in the compound was envious. After all, every family had a large population at that time, and no one had enough houses. Xu's father also exaggeratedly said that he had paid a great price to complete the formalities, which dispelled everyone's thoughts.

Master Li and Master Zhao, who were inside the house, came out upon hearing the voice. "Boss, the house has been renovated. Take a look around and see if you are satisfied."

"Okay, then I'll take a closer look." Xu Damao held a cigarette in his mouth and began to look from outside to inside.

A lot of roof tiles were replaced, the windows and glass are also new, and the door frames were made of good materials so they were repainted without having to replace them.

As soon as he entered the house, he saw a newly built dining table and chairs. The southeast corner was left empty on purpose. Xu Damao planned to go to the trust store to buy some chairs or Western-style sofas made of good wood. To the west and north was a rural earth stove and fire furnace, directly connected to the earthen kang in the house. Xu Damao also planned to spend some money to get an earthen heating system from the factory. This was easy to make without any technical requirements. At this time, there was already gas, but it was a bit expensive. Xu Damao planned to get a set for cooking in the summer.

On the north side, there is a water tank and a newly built cabinet for pots, pans, and sundries. In the northwest corner, there is a separate bathroom that occupies some space in the north bedroom. The toilet and water tank were exchanged by Xu Damao from the system. If you want to take a shower, you need to heat water in the water tank. It's not that there are no more advanced electric water heaters, but they can't be used.

The master bedroom is on the south side, with a large earthen kang (a bed that is warm in winter and cool in summer). This kang was where Xu Damao slept in his hometown before he traveled through time. There are two small cabinets on the kang, a large cabinet for clothes on the south side, and a desk on the east side that can also be used as a dressing table.

The room on the northernmost side is for the children, which is simply furnished with a wooden bed, desk, and a wardrobe.

The smooth cement floor replaced the previous bumpy floor, and the surrounding area was freshly painted white walls. It looked clean and tidy. Xu Damao nodded with satisfaction.

"Not bad, thank you so much, I'm very satisfied. OK, let's go to the third uncle's house for dinner first."

Today is the last meal, so the three aunts prepared a very sumptuous meal. Anyway, it is all Xu Damao's money, and she can make a small profit from the food, so why not do it.

The three main dishes, braised fish, hen stewed with mushrooms, and pork stewed with vermicelli, were already on the table, along with stir-fried shredded potatoes, vinegar-fried cabbage, and shrimp and radish soup. Although the dishes were not very tasty, having fish and meat was definitely a rare feast in this era. The four of them sat down one after another, and soon began to toast each other, while the third aunt took the children to eat in another room.

"I'm really sorry to trouble you two masters with this renovation. Let me offer a toast to you two first." Xu Damao tilted his head back and drank the glass directly, then took a bite of food to suppress the smell of alcohol.

The two masters were also very cheerful people. It was rare to have such a good boss, so they all drank the wine in their glasses.

"Come on, come on, Third Uncle, let me toast to you. You've been helping me a lot this time." Xu Damao and Third Uncle Yan Bugui drank another glass.

"Let's have a drink together to celebrate the completion of the house renovation." This time, the four of them raised their glasses together. After Xu Damao finished the three glasses of wine, he no longer actively urged people to drink, but only took a sip occasionally or responded to others.

The meal lasted for more than an hour. Xu Damao saw that everyone had almost finished eating and drinking. If they continued drinking, the two chefs would be drunk, so he put down his chopsticks and took out a large black wallet from his pocket. "Come on, let's stop here today, two chefs, let's settle the wages today."

Xu Damao counted out twenty-two big black bills and handed them over. "I gave you two hundred yuan before, and I have forty yuan left. Add the materials and labor for the new room, and the total is two hundred and twenty yuan. Please count."

Master Zhao borrowed the money and counted it, saying it was fine. The four chatted for a while, and then the two masters left.

"Uncle, please bring your little account book here quickly, and I will settle it for you."

Yan Bugui smiled and took out a small notebook from the inner room. Every penny of the money spent on buying vegetables, meat, and grain was recorded in it. There was also the work of the old Yan family, the labor and hot water provided by other families in the compound, and every page and every item was recorded clearly.

"Uncle, you are worthy of being a teacher. The account book is well-organized and clear at a glance." Xu Damao praised, and then simply rounded off the number to the nearest integer. It turned out that the final total amount was more than what the uncle had calculated, which showed that the uncle had definitely calculated it carefully.

"I've checked the account and it's all right. Your calculation is forty-nine dollars and sixty cents. I'll give you fifty. I have to go to work tomorrow, so I'd like to trouble you to help me pay the money to the neighbors who helped me."

"It's no trouble, no trouble. Anyway, I'm on winter vacation now and don't have to go to work. I'll leave the matter to your uncle. I promise I'll do it for you." The uncle promised with a smile.

"Uncle, there are some things I have always wanted to say, but there has been no better opportunity. Today I will take this opportunity to say a few more words. This money also has a share of liberation, and it is also earned by their labor. Please don't take it all away or give them only a little. They are not young anymore. How can they make friends or date without money in their pockets?"

"I, I am also..." Yan Bugui wanted to explain.

Xu Damao waved his hand, "Uncle, I know what you want to say. It's nothing more than that your family is in financial difficulty and you need to calculate your life. However, if you keep calculating, it's easy to calculate away the family affection. Think about it, with you teaching by example, when you are old and your children have started their own families, what will it be like if you use the same calculation method on yourself? Will there be anyone to support you in your old age?"

After Xu Damao finished speaking, he left the Yan family and went back to his own home. But Yan Bugui tossed and turned all night, repeatedly thinking about Xu Damao's words. Will his children really plot against him in the future? Will they really not support him in his old age? Am I really wrong?

Xu Damao returned home and fell into deep thought when he looked at the earthen kang in front of him. How could he sleep at night when there was nothing on the kang or bedding? He could exchange it, but he had to let everyone take a look. The unclear appearance of things would definitely arouse suspicion. He might as well go to the space to deal with it for the night.

Xu Damao was thinking about it when he heard a knock on the door.